1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the area of electronic entertainment and educational devices and, more specifically, to a device that allows a reader to interact with and play games with a printed book.
2. Description of Related Art
Video games are extremely popular at the present time and represent a growing segment of the entertainment industry. Video games have evolved greatly since their humble beginnings some 30 years ago. Early games were electronic representations of games such as table tennis. The graphics were limited to a crude black-and-white representation of a paddle (white line) and a ball (white spot). The players could manipulate the vertical positions of the paddles and thus send the ball back and forth across a video screen. The game action was accompanied by crude sound effects that represented a ball striking a paddle. Today's games bear little resemblance to the early games. The graphics are in full color and show highly detailed, fully animated figures. The games are accompanied by music and a variety of realistic, synchronized sound effects. Moreover, the games are extremely complex and demand considerable physical coordination and strategy on the part of the players.
The video games exist as "pay per play" arcade games, as well home versions for attaching to television sets. The major problem with game units such as these that are based around a color CRT is that they tend to be large and nonportable. Not only is the screen itself large and heavy, the complex electronics, in spite of modern miniaturization, are relatively bulky and also consume considerable power, thereby precluding battery operation. All of the current video games are based around microprocessors which generate the graphics and sounds and implement the logical manipulations necessary for an effective game. The microprocessors are equipped with volatile memory (RAM) and permanent storage (often ROM) in which the game instructions (program) are stored. In fact, the modern video game has more in common with a personal computer than with any other electronic device. The video game is actually a personal computer optimized to execute special game programs.
Therefore, the physical and economic factors that affect video games are similar to those that control personal computers. The more powerful the microprocessor, the more rapid and complex the output. That is, faster microprocessors are able to produce high-speed games with vivid, detailed graphics. However, more powerful processors are usually more expensive and require a larger amount of more expensive memory. Arcade games, within limits, can be more expensive as long as their superior quality results in sufficient player popularity to amortize the increased cost. However, many home video games are sold for use by children and adolescents. Parents usually balk at paying personal computer prices (at least $800.00) for a "toy." Therefore, while top end notebook personal computers are capable of producing high quality, full color graphics in a portable package, portable video games do not have such ability. This is not surprising when one considers that full color notebook computers currently retail for several thousand dollars apiece.
Up to now economic considerations have dictated that portable video games are limited to comparatively simple games with simple graphics on a small, black-and-white LCD (liquid crystal display). Microprocessors that are capable of more sophisticated graphics are too expensive and too power hungry for a small, hand-held game.
On the other hand, printed materials, such as comic books, have long been a low-tech source of highly detailed and sophisticated graphics. Comic books are an extremely popular source of entertainment. However, a printed book is a static thing; once a given comic has been read, much of its attractiveness is exhausted. While a book can provide a story and stimulate the imagination, there is little opportunity for the reader to interact with the story. There have been several attempts to "liven up" printed materials.
Books have been produced with accompanying records or tapes that provide music and sound effects and perhaps narration. The reader is generally instructed to turn the page when a particular sound, such as the ringing of a bell is heard. This system has never been very satisfactory. If the reader pauses to carefully inspect or read the page, the recording will keep going and synchronization of sound with the printed page is quickly lost. Although tape cassettes can be easily stopped, a reader can still miss the "bell" and have a great deal of difficulty rewinding the tape to find the correct position. Because one goal of such tape/book combinations is to encourage reading, frustration caused by lack of synchronization is particularly counterproductive. Also, recorded books, like printed books, lose much of their appeal after one performance and have trouble competing with the interactive qualities of even simple video games.
There have also been limited attempts to adapt modern electronics to printed books. In particular, micro-electronics have been used to provide sound effects for simple picture books. Generally, a book is combined with a device containing a plurality of marked buttons or switches. The buttons are marked with pictures of animals (or other sound-making objects) that occur in the story. The text of the story is also marked with these animal "icons" at key points in the story. When the reader come to one of the animal "icons," the reader presses the similarly marked button and is rewarded by an appropriate, electronically-synthesized sound. Such a system has the advantage of avoiding any synchronization problems. However, the sounds do not really add much to the lifetime of the story-it still becomes boring after a few readings. Generally, the device degenerates into a noise maker as the reader soon learns to repeatedly press the buttons at inappropriate times. Furthermore, there is little flexibility since a given sound-making device can be used with only a single or, at the most, a small number of story books.